Papai's Garden

Papai's Garden Empowering and creating opportunities for people with disabilities thru skills training in gardening

Today our gardeners harvested fresh greens for salad and pickled peppers and radishes using produce they helped grow.Eve...
07/30/2026

Today our gardeners harvested fresh greens for salad and pickled peppers and radishes using produce they helped grow.

Every step-from harvesting and washing to chopping, measuring, packing, and tasting-builds practical job skills while giving participants the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their work.

There’s something special about sharing a meal made with ingredients you grew yourself. 💚

Such a fun day at ! 🌊🐚We loved stopping by idig2learn’s marine touch table, where kids got to explore shells, sea kelp,...
07/27/2026

Such a fun day at ! 🌊🐚

We loved stopping by idig2learn’s marine touch table, where kids got to explore shells, sea kelp, algae, fossils, shark teeth, and so much more. It was hands-on, interactive, and such a great way to spark curiosity about our local waterways.

And the performance by was the perfect addition to an already amazing day!

We are honored to receive a New York State Assembly Citation from Assembly Member Edward Braunstein recognizing Papai’s...
07/02/2026

We are honored to receive a New York State Assembly Citation from Assembly Member Edward Braunstein recognizing Papai’s Garden’s first year in Queens anniversary and our work creating inclusive opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thank you, Assembly Member Braunstein, for your support of our community. 🌱💚🪴

So many of you have asked for the recipe that I figured it deserved its own post.For those wondering…it took about 8 cup...
07/01/2026

So many of you have asked for the recipe that I figured it deserved its own post.

For those wondering…it took about 8 cups of fresh basil, a granite mortar & pestle, 4 hours of hand-grinding, and maybe just a little arm workout. 💪🌱 don’t worry- you will need only four cups of basil leaves if you’re making it for 4-5 people.

I’ve attached the official Papai’s Garden pesto recipe (and yes, I’ve already emailed it to quite a few of you 😄).

Thank you for loving it so much! I guess I’ll have to make another giant batch for next year’s celebration.

If you make it, tag us—I would love to see your creations! 💚

This week, we celebrated our first anniversary surrounded by an incredible community of gardeners, participants, familie...
07/01/2026

This week, we celebrated our first anniversary surrounded by an incredible community of gardeners, participants, families, volunteers, elected officials, community partners, neighbors, and friends.

Watching our gardeners proudly share their passion for gardening, showcase their artwork, and celebrate everything they’ve accomplished reminded us exactly why this work matters.

To everyone who chose to spend part of their Monday morning with us - THANK YOU.

Thank you for your curiosity.
Thank you for tasting fresh food from the garden.
Thank you for bringing your children.
Thank you for volunteering.
Thank you for believing in inclusive opportunities and in the power of community.

A special thank you to our partners, including , , , , .on.fog ,Pembroke Community Garden, our elected officials: from , Justin Connor from office , Abby Mayerhoff from and every volunteer who helped make the day possible. .de

This celebration wasn’t just about looking back - it was about celebrating everything we can continue to grow together.

Here’s to another year of cultivating opportunity, belonging, and community. 🌱💚

🌱 Community is what makes Papai’s Garden grow.Today we were joined by an incredible group of volunteers who rolled up th...
06/12/2026

🌱 Community is what makes Papai’s Garden grow.

Today we were joined by an incredible group of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves, tackled garden projects, got creative with nature-inspired crafts, and helped us finish garden cages and get ready for our event coming up.

A special thank you to Fernando .on.fog for not only volunteering today, but for sharing his passion for our mission and his desire to return regularly. People like Fernando remind us that inclusion, community, and belonging are built one relationship at a time.

We are so grateful for every person who chooses to spend their time helping our garden flourish. 💚

Thank you to and for supporting community connections and volunteerism.

Every helping hand helps our garden and our mission grow. 🌿

🌱 Garden World Training Program Recap – June 9, 2026 🌱This week’s session focused on identifying and removing the 3 D’s ...
06/10/2026

🌱 Garden World Training Program Recap – June 9, 2026 🌱

This week’s session focused on identifying and removing the 3 D’s of plant maintenance: Dead, Diseased, and Damaged plant material.

Participants practiced observation, plant grooming, and retail plant care while building confidence and workplace readiness skills. Activities included:

🌿 Plant inspection and identification
✂️ Pruning and grooming plants
🪴 Maintaining retail displays
🤝 Teamwork and communication

Through hands-on experiences like these, participants develop confidence, independence, attention to detail, and transferable workplace skills in a supportive environment.

At Papai’s Garden, we create opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to build workplace skills through hands-on horticulture experiences. Our partnership with provides meaningful exposure to real-world work environments and job readiness skills.

💚 A special thank you to for partnering with Papai’s Garden in supporting inclusive workforce development and providing meaningful hands-on learning experiences for our participants.

GardenWorld JobReadiness CommunityInclusion PlantCare GrowingConfidence

The past few days have been all about protecting our crops from some very determined garden visitors.After losing seedli...
06/06/2026

The past few days have been all about protecting our crops from some very determined garden visitors.

After losing seedlings to rabbits, raccoons and other critters, we spent the day building custom hardware cloth enclosures for our raised beds. It took measuring, bending PVC hoops, cutting hardware cloth, plenty of zip ties, and a whole lot of teamwork.

A huge thank you to our family volunteers who jumped in to help make it happen. From planning and construction to planting and problem-solving, every helping hand makes a difference.

These beds are now home to bok choy, kale, peppers, strawberries, cucumbers, herbs, and other crops that will be used for hands-on gardening education and job training opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Sometimes growing food means learning how to outsmart the wildlife too. 🐰🦝🌱😆

🌱 Gardeners, we need your guidance!We’re exploring options for building protective covers for our raised garden beds and...
06/03/2026

🌱 Gardeners, we need your guidance!

We’re exploring options for building protective covers for our raised garden beds and would love to learn from others who have done this before.

Have you built a raised bed cover using PVC hoops, crop cages, deer netting, hardware cloth, or another approach?

If so, we’d appreciate:
✅ Photos of your setup
✅ Tips or lessons learned
✅ Material recommendations
✅ Links to plans or tutorials

And if you know someone with experience building garden bed covers, we’d be grateful for an introduction!

Please share in the comments or send us a DM. Thank you for helping us learn and grow! 💚

🌱 You’re Invited! 🌱Join us as we celebrate one year of inclusive gardening in Queens with a free community event at Papa...
05/30/2026

🌱 You’re Invited! 🌱

Join us as we celebrate one year of inclusive gardening in Queens with a free community event at Papai’s Garden!

Bring the whole family and enjoy:

🌿 Garden Harvest activities
🥗 Garden-to-Table tasting experiences
🌸 Botanical crafts using pressed flowers
👩‍🏫 Special guest educator Christina Delfico of
🍋 Light refreshments will be served

You’ll also have the opportunity to meet the gardeners behind Papai’s Garden and learn how our program creates meaningful work-based learning opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

📅 Monday, June 29, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
📍 Pembroke Community Garden
253-13 Pembroke Ave, Little Neck, NY

☔ Rain Date: Tuesday, June 30

🎟️ RSVP today:
✔️ Scan the QR code in this post
✔️ Visit the link in our bio
✔️ DM us and we’ll send you the RSVP link directly

Swipe through to learn more about the activities, meet our gardeners, and get to know our guest educator, Christina Delfico of iDig2Learn.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 💚

Address

Riley Levin Children's Garden, 3703 10th Avenue
New York, NY
10033

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